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Jun 15, 2014

Interview with Elizabeth C. Gorski

Since 1995, Elizabeth C. Gorski has 211 puzzles published by the New York Times, making her the second most-published crossword constructor under Will Shortz's editorship. Liz is also a regular contributor to the LA Times & The Wall Street Journal.

Liz is also the Managing Editor of Crossword Nation, which provides quintessential
Liz- style puzzle every week: inventive themes, contemporary &
adventurous fill & fantastic clues. It's not unusual to see a 72-worder in her puzzles.
See here as an example.

I've said this before: Liz sees what others can't. She does what others can't or won't.

What's your philosophy when it comes
to grid design? Those stacked 6's & 7's on the upper right & lower left
look daunting to fill, esp when crossed by 9/7/6. I might have also chickened
out and broken 18-Across & 126-Across into two.

My
grid design philosophy is: literacy, humor and novelty. Once I position the
themed entries and surround them with a good fill, I try to “open” the grid (reduce
the word count) and introduce a new-and-better fill. The challenge is: to
improve the fill and preserve
accessibility. Perhaps the prospect of including WINEGLASS encouraged me to
open up the grid!

Writing
a puzzle fill takes time and repeated attempts -- lots of them. I keeping trying
until the fill fits the bill. Constructing “by hand” is an invaluable skill
and I’ll use that method for tricky grid areas, such as 126-Across. Sometimes I’ll
chicken out completely, reposition the themed entries and start over again. Perseverance
is key.

Which
part do you normally spend the most time on in the construction process: theme
brainstorming, grid designing or cluing?

When
I was starting out, I spent a lot of time on grid design, but today – the most
time-consuming task is theme brainstorming. It takes time to develop themes
that haven’t been done before. Since the ‘90s I’ve tried to find puzzle software
that eliminates the repetitive drudge work (managing word lists, making grid templates,
numbering etc.). I love Crossword
Compiler – it’s the best, in my opinion. I’ve written my own programs to manage
word lists and automate uncreative tasks.

I’m always adding interesting words
(BESTIE) and removing terrible words (UNHAT) in an effort to create a “human”
vocabulary. I don’t waste time assigning number values to words – that’s where
I draw the line with software. By automating essential tasks, there's more
time to focus on duties that call for a human brain – theme brainstorming and
clue writing. When used effectively,
technology improves the quality of puzzles by freeing up more “think” time. It’s
that simple.

Like many other solvers, I love the originality
& extra visuals in your puzzles. I also love your clues. What tools do you
use to make the clues fresh, creative and fun?

Thank
you for the compliment! After I finish a
puzzle, I will revisit it over a period of a few days; that’s when I fold,
spindle, mutilate or rewrite the clues. It helps to let a puzzle breathe for a while.
Think of a bottle of wine that needs to breathe. There’s no secret sauce. I just write and then rewrite.

One
important note: of course, today’s puzzle was greatly improved by Rich Norris’ amazing
talents. Rich proposed the puzzle title “Pas deDeux.” What a smashing play on words, with a Father’s Day twist! (Much better than “Pop Duo” – my title). His title is
literate, artistic and thoughtful. I
love it.
What kind of theme and fill excite you andwhat
kind do you try to avoid in your grids?

Above all, I try to avoid making puzzles with themes that have been done
before. Puzzle databases (Jim Horne’s xwordinfo.com and Matt Ginsberg’s puzzledatabase) are enormously helpful; I use them to rule out ideas. I’m surprised
to see puzzles with overdone themes these days. Like the MOA, that should be a
thing of the past.

When
a constructor is brainstorming themes, it’s just as important to rule out
certain themes, as it is to create new ones.
Solvers are smart – they know when a puzzle is old or a re-hash. As editors and
constructors, it’s our responsibility to work harder for our customers.

When
I make the weekly Crossword Nation puzzle, I have an turnaround-time advantage
-- the work is published within days of creation. We use technology to provide a fresh
puzzle-solving experience for our subscribers. Puzzles are new and current –
never kept on a shelf. This is the future of puzzle distribution and it’s radically
different from the traditional model. I like to think of independent crossword
providers as mom-and-pop stores that offer a high-quality alternative for to their customers.
As a puzzle producer and consumer, I am a proponent of using technology to
improve puzzle quality and distribution. We owe our customers – puzzle solvers
-- a good product based on fresh content.

Of all
the puzzles you've constructed, which are you most proud of?

Because
of its unusual asymmetric design, puzzle solvers often ask about theGuggenheimMuseum puzzle (“Ahead of the Curve”: October 2009, The New York Times). It was architectural – a simple spiral that
echoed the shape of Frank Lloyd Wright’s prescient design. And it celebrated
the Museum’s 50th anniversary.
What delighted me most was that, on the Sunday the puzzle was published,
visitors to the Museum were seen walking the spiral with the crossword puzzle
in hand! A puzzle within a puzzle. That was an unexpected honor.

What puzzles do you solve every day and which constructors constantly
inspire you?

I
regard “constructing” puzzles as a form of problem solving. You’re creating a
problem for yourself (“Gee, I’d like to make a puzzle that looks like
Secretariat or a double helix …”), and then you have to make the puzzle. (You’ve
created a big problem for yourself!) That keeps my synapses firing. As for daily puzzles, I try to keep up with
Puzzle Social puzzles, if I have the time.

If
I were to choose a constructor who influenced me as a solver,
it would be: Maura Jacobson. Her New York Magazine puzzles were
autobiographical – cute, funny, literate and accessible. She wrote a Sunday-sized masterpiece (without
software) every week, for 30 years. I admire her discipline and unique ability
to challenge solvers without dumbing-down the puzzle. Based on her ideas and clues, you sensed that
Maura had many interests: books, travel, family, pets, cooking, films, punnery,
popular culture, Broadway, classical music. You came away from her puzzle feeling good and
liking the person who made it … and counting the days until her next puzzle
appeared. She is one of the most important crossword constructors ever. A true original.

Besides crosswords, what else
do you do for fun?

I
am a trained musician (violin and viola) and I love to play chamber music,
especially string quintets. I’ve been a
tennis player since high school and I have a passion for exploring New York
City on foot. I like the music of Rob Thomas, Ed Sheeran and Frederic Chopin. Other interests: flamenco dancing, root
vegetables, air craft carriers (there’s one in NYC) and crop circles.